Foam material for padding and body protection

ABSTRACT

A protective foam material and pads are disclosed herein. The material is a rounded foam pellet having a hole through the center of the pellet. The pellets may be arranged and interconnected to form a pad. These pads may be applied to persons, animals, or other objects for protective functions.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to protective equipment for absorbing,dispersing, or deflecting impact shock. The invention has particularapplication to athletic padding or protective equipment.

BACKGROUND ART

Foam pads have long been used for various types of personal protectionequipment in athletics, such as shoulder pads, knee and thigh pads,elbow pads, athletic supporters, and helmets. Foam pads are commonlyconstructed of large, uniformly thick foam sheets to cover a particularregion. Such pads are bulky and limit an athlete's mobility. These padsalso do little to disperse the energy absorbed from an impact. While thefoam pad absorbed some energy and force, what is not absorbed passesthrough the foam in the same direction as the direction of impact.Stated differently, when the foam is impacted, unabsorbed force passesstraight through the pad to the underlying region.

More recently, it has become popular to score or pellet certain panelsof foam padding into small units, such as hexagons or squares, to allowthe pad to more easily curve or flex about a rounded surface, andthereby to closely conform to the body. While this in theory may in somecases accommodate an athlete's mobility, it does not address the mannerin which the padding absorbs, disperses, or deflects forces, whichtypically are passed in a substantially straight line vector through thepad to the underlying area intended for protection. In fact, traditionalpadding, whether segmented or not, relies substantially only on thepadding's ability to absorb impact forces, while not much attention hasbeen given to dispersing or deflecting forces.

The traditional design of football shoulder pads evidences a reluctanceto rely upon the protective absorbing, being traditionally designed tosit raised above the wearer's shoulders. In such configuration, theshoulder pad is designed to deflect downward to absorb force, while ahard yoke component flexes to absorb additional energy. However, suchpads suffer from a higher-than-desired profile and can impair a wearerfrom being able to comfortably turn his neck or easily raise his arms.While shoulder pads having increased flexibility would be welcomed,reducing the size of a conventional pad may increase the potential forceimpacting the wearer, while the use of pads that closely conform to thebody would compete against the design characteristics of such shoulderpads, which must be raised above the shoulder to provide the amount ofprotection for which they are engineered, by allowing the flexing yoketo work as designed.

What is needed, then, is a pad better able to absorb, deflect, ordisperse impact energy and forces, optimally while allowing forincreased wearer flexibility and mobility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In some aspects, the invention relates to a foam padding having a firstfoam pellet having an aperture substantially near a minor axis thereof.

In other aspects, the invention relates to a foam padding having aplurality of foam pellets, at least one of said foam pellets having anaperture substantially near a minor axis thereof.

In other aspects, the invention relates to a protective foam pad havinga first textile layer adapted to enclose a protected area; and aplurality of foam pellets arranged in an array and disposed along thefirst textile layer, where at least one pellet has an aperture throughthe pellet substantially near the minor axis.

In other aspects, the invention relates to pads for use in athleticcompetitions having a first textile layer adapted to receive an upperbody of a wearer; a second textile layer sewn to the first textile layerto form a plurality of enclosed pockets; and a plurality of foam arraysarranged in the plurality of enclosed pockets, each foam array having aplurality of foam pellets having an aperture substantially near a minoraxis thereof, and a substrate connecting the plurality of foam pellets.

Shoulder pads for use in athletic competitions having a padding righaving an inner textile layer; an outer textile layer; and a pluralityof foam pellets sandwiched between the inner textile layer and outertextile layer, said pellets having an aperture substantially near aminor axis thereof, where the foam pellets are arranged about thepadding rig.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

It should be noted that identical features in different drawings areshown with the same reference numeral.

To be completed when drawings completed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

First disclosed herein is a padding configuration that may be used inshoulder pads and other wearable equipment. While traditional paddingconfigurations employ panels or sheets of foam or other padding materialexhibiting substantial uniformity across their surface area, theinventors direct attention to constituent areas or sizes of the paddingmaterial.

Turning to the drawings, an exemplary embodiment of a foam pellet 5 isshown in FIGS. 1A-1C. Pellet is used to describe any mass that may bevariously described as a ball, nugget, segment, peanut, globe, lump,spheroid, ovoid, ellipsoid, lentoid, polyhedron, of any flexibility,consistency, or hardness and having at least some of the characteristicsfurther described in this disclosure. FIG. 1A depicts a cross-section ofa foam pellet 5, while FIG. 1B depicts a top plan view of the samepellet 5. For sake of discussion, pellet 5 is shown with a height 1 anda width 2, though it will be understood that “height” and “width” do notnecessarily bear any relation to vertical or horizontal orientation, andinstead “height” refers to the measure taken along the minor axis 6, and“width” refers to the measure taken along the major axis 7. In the shownembodiment, pellet 5 is generally lobular, presenting a generallycircular cross-section when viewed along the minor axis 6, and agenerally elliptical or oval cross-section when viewed along its majoraxis 7. This shape is also known variously as a lentoid or oblatespheroid. In some embodiments, the pellet 5 has a width of approximately1.25 inches and a height of approximately 1 inch. In other embodiments,the pellet 5 may have different dimensions corresponding to thedimension of the area being padded, or the magnitude of protection to beprovided by the padding.

Other shapes in which the height at the perimeter of pellet 5 is lessnear the perimeter than at more central points may also be provided. Forexample, with reference to FIG. 1A, the portion of pellet 5 appearingabove the major axis 7 may be conical or frustro-conical, or may be athree-dimensional polygon with inwardly and upwardly slanted sides.Alternatively, the pellet 5 may have the appearance of a torus. Alsoalternatively and as depicted in FIG. 1C, pellet 5 may be in the form ofpolygonal pellet 30, having creases 31 such that when viewed along theminor axis 6 the polygonal pellet 30 has the appearance of a hexagon. Itis contemplated that still other shapes may be used, including thosethat present inner chambers or voids 11, such the pellets 5 shown inFIGS. 1D and 1E.

The foam used for the pellets may be open-cell or closed-cell foam. Theinventors have identified polyurethane and ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA)foam as having particular advantages, but any other foam compositionsmay be used, for example, polyethylene foam, polyurethane memory foam,polyether foam, and viscoelastic polymer gel.

In certain embodiments, the pellet 5 has a hole or aperture 10 passingthrough pellet 5 along the direction of the minor axis. As depicted inFIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the aperture 10 may be coincident with or passdirectly along the polar axis 6, such that when viewing the pellet 5along the polar axis 6 the aperture 10 is concentric with thecircumference of the pellet 5. In other embodiments, the aperture 10 maybe eccentric, such that it is not centrally located on the pellet 5. Inembodiments wherein the pellet 5 has a 1.25 inch diameter, the aperture10 may have a 0.25 inch diameter, such that the pellet-aperture ratio is5:1. The inventors have found that this pellet-aperture ratio at thispellet size allows the pellet 5 to absorb and deflect additional energywhile not adversely affecting the strength or integrity of the pellet 5.Other aperture diameters and pellet-aperture ratios may be used withoutdeparting from the scope of this invention.

Used together, or to a lesser degree separately, the disclosed shape ofthe foam pellet 5 and the configuration with an aperture 10 through thepellet 5 provides increased protection for the padded object or bodypart. In foam pads having flat sides that are substantiallyperpendicular to the surface of the padded object, impacting forcestransfer most of the impact energy through the pad and into the paddedobject. It is believed that prior art foam panels in such aconfiguration primarily respond to impacts by compression. Withoutlimiting the scope of the invention, the pellet 5 as disclosed herein isbelieved to have a greater capability for responding to such forces bynot only compressing, but also by deforming to the side (e.g, its apexshifting sideways), or by deforming inwardly to intrude into the spacepresented by aperture 10. The pellet 5 as taught also presentsadditional angles for receiving the initial impact force. The aperture10 also has the additional benefit of providing increased ventilationfor the protected area. This helps keep the wearer cool while exertinghimself or herself during typical athletic play.

Returning to FIG. 1A, in some embodiments the foam pellet 5 isconstructed of foam having variable density across the cross-section ofthe pellet 5. For example, in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1A, onehalf 8 of the pellet 5 is formed of foam having one density, and theother half 9 of the pellet 5 is formed of foam having a second, lowerdensity. The different density foam halves are placed adjacent oneanother, and may be bonded together, to form the pellet 5. When used toprotect a wearer, the low-density half 9 may be worn close to the bodyto provide additional cushioning, while the high-density half 8 hasgreater impact absorption. Other embodiments of the pellet 5 may havemore than two regions of density (for example, two low density regionssandwiching a higher-density core, or a series of progressivelyincreasing or decreasing density regions), a gradient of densities, or auniform density without departing from the scope of this disclosure.Such a plurality of regions having different densities, within a singlepellet 5, may be achieved by separately forming portions of the foam andcoordinating their placement (whether permanently joined together orsimply placed near one another to complete the pellet). Alternately, theplurality of regions having different densities may be constructed intoa single integrally constructed pellet 5, such as by causing a portionof the foam material in the mold to be cured under different conditions,or with different composition, than other portions. For example, in amold for which foam material is injected from the top, the bottomportion may be injected as a first mixture of foam chemical, with asecond mixture—or the same mixture with a different physical treatment(e.g., entrained air)—deposited on top.

To protect a wearer, an array of pellets 5 may be coordinated to cover alarge surface area of the body. In some embodiments, the pellets 5 areindependent of each other, such that each pellet 5 reacts to impactforces independently of the other pellets 5 and can shift, expand,compress, and absorb impact forces independently of the other pellets 5.In such embodiments, a covering, wrap, fabric, or other enclosure may beused to keep the pellets 5 organized in the array about the surface.

In other embodiments, and as depicted in FIG. 2, pellets 5 in an arrayare connected by substrates 15 to cover a region. In FIG. 2, the pellets5 are connected linearly by multiple substrates 15. Because the pellets5 are connected together, the ability of each pellet 5 to shift aboutindependently is reduced. However, presenting multiple pellets 5connected as a unit permits the padding to be applied over largersurface areas while presenting the pellets 5 in a uniform or otherpre-determined arrangement or orientation. Production may also be easedby such arrangements, in view of the potential uniformity and ease ofhandling sheets of materials as opposed to individual pellets 5.

The substrates 15 may be produced independently of pellets 5 andsubsequently connected to form the array. In some configurations, thesubstrates 15 are different materials from the pellets 5, such as linesor a web of fabric, plastic, wire, or netting. Such materials may beadhered to the pellets such as by gluing to or piercing through thepellets 5. Alternately and perhaps advantageously, the substrates 15 maybe formed into the pellets 5 as part of the manufacturing of suchpellets 5. For example, if the pellets 5 are produced by molding inwhich a mold for the top half of multiple pellets 5 is brought togetherwith a mold for the bottom half of such pellets 5, a net, web, or fabric(or other structure for substrates 15) could be introduced between thetwo mold halves during formation of the pellets 5. Upon curing, andrelease from the mold, the pellets 5 would be disposed in thepre-arranged configuration about the structure of the substrates 15,with that structure passing through the pellets 5 and effectivelyembedded therein. It is also possible to form the substrates 15 in themolding process out of the same molding material that is used to makepellets 5. By so doing, the pellets 5 and substrates 15 may be madeintegral to or unitary with one another. The array thus may be in theform of a sheet or foam panel, configured as pellets 5 dispersed aboutthe sheet or panel in a desired arrangement, interconnected by thinnerareas of foam.

FIG. 3 depicts an embodiment wherein an array 20 of pellets 5 are laidout over an area and connected by a web 17 of substrates 15, whichconnect pellets 5 in two dimensions. In this manner, a large surface maybe covered and a large pad of pellets 5 efficiently produced. In orderto allow the pellets 5 to be as independent as possible, holes 16 areprovided in the web 17 to allow for additional flexibility. Thesubstrates 15 could be formed as independent links between each adjacentpellet 5 if desired, but it has been found that using a configuration inwhich the holes 16 are round aids in resistance to tearing by avoidingpoint stresses that may arise at more angular junctions of foam.

FIG. 4 depicts a side cross-section view of the array 20 depicted inFIG. 3. In this embodiment, high-density halves 8 are formed in a sheet21 with the substrates 15. Similarly, the low-density halves 9 areformed in a sheet 22 with the substrates. The sheets 21 and 22 are thenarranged with the high-density halves 8 and the low-density halves 9aligned, forming the pellets 5. In most cases the halves 8 and 9 will beglued or otherwise bonded together, but in some cases they may bearranged and held in relative position by other structures, such as afabric covering. Holes 16 may be formed as part of the molding process,or may be cut following molding. Likewise, apertures 10 may be formed aspart of the molding process for the pellets 5 (whether such moldingoccurs as part of an array, or separately), or may be bored through eachpellet 5 as a subsequent step in the manufacturing process. If both theaperture 10 and the holes 16 are to be bored subsequent to molding,these holes may be punched by a single jig with coring punches forforming each.

In any given array 20, the pellets 5 may be of uniform or varying size.For example, in an application where the impact forces are generallyuniform over a large area, or the protected surface area does notsubstantially move, shift, translate, rotate, or hinge (for example, awearer's chest or torso), the pellets 5 may be of a substantiallyuniform size. In other applications, where the impact forces vary acrossthe protect surface area, or the surface is one likely to deform (forexample, around a wearer's elbow, knee, or shoulder), pellets 5 ofvarying sizes may be used to increase flexibility and provide localizedprotection.

The pellets 5 described above may be used in a multitude of forms toprovide padding to a wearer, particularly in athletic contests and inworkplaces where safety from impacts is a concern. For example, the foampellets 5 and arrays 20 may be used in football shoulder pads, kneepads, thigh pads, elbow pads, helmets, braces, chest protectors,football kick plates, impact plates, and other athletic or protectiveequipment. The pellets 5 and arrays 20 may also be advantageouslyincorporated into other equipment, such as horse blankets, saddles,cycling seats, firefighter equipment (e.g., helmets, firemen's coats andpants, etc.), bomb disposal safety suits, construction workers'clothing, hard hats, and other protective clothing, padding, or gear. Inthese various uses, the pellets 5 and arrays 20 may be designed toparticular sizes and arranged into padding of particular shapes toprotect a given surface area commensurate with the standard paddingused. For example, in a horse blanket, the padding may be shaped as atraditional blanket to protect the wearer and the horse while riding,with due variances in the size of the pellets to absorb or deflectimpacts between horse and rider during standard equestrian or horseracing actions.

For further example, in some embodiments, the pellets 5 or arrays 20 ofpellets 5 may be used integrated into or as a component for use withfootball shoulder pads to provide the user protection from impacts whilealso allowing the user to move the arms, shoulders, and neck relativelyunhindered. Pellets 5 may be incorporated into, or substituted for, thepadding of traditionally configured football shoulder pads for improvedperformance.

Additionally, FIG. 5 through FIG. 9 show an improved configuration forfootball shoulder pads that may incorporate the pellets 5 disclosedabove in appropriate locations. In general, the described configurationof football shoulder pads includes a padding rig 50, which may ifdesired be in the form of a shirt or vest as shown in FIG. 5, and anouter impact plate 4 such as depicted in FIG. 9. In the shownapplication, the padding rig 50 is placed on the wearer, then impactplate 4 is placed over the padding rig 50 to provide a set of footballshoulder pads having inner padding and outer arches. An exemplaryconstruction of these components is hereafter described.

FIG. 5 depicts a front elevation view of one embodiment of padding rig50 as worn by a wearer. The padding rig 50 is shown with several padsseparated by grooves and configured to protect the wearer while alsoallowing the wearer to flex or move freely, which may also facilitatedonning of the padding rig 50.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the padding rig 50 has two chest pads 55 toprovide padding over the wearer's front rib cage. The chest pads 55 areseparated by a central groove 60 aligned over the wearer's sternum. Thechest pads 55 cover the front rib cage, extend down to be roughly levelwith the user's diaphragm, and wrap towards the side of the wearer'schest along the diaphragm. Serratus pads 65 are positioned along theside of the padding rig 50 between the chest pads 55 and the wearer'sunderarm. The serratus pads 65 are roughly aligned with and serve toprotect the side of the rib cage and the user's serratus anteriormuscles. The serratus pad 65 and chest pad 55 are separated by ananterior groove 70. The embodiment of FIG. 5 also has clavicle pads 75located over the top of the shoulder between the neck and the round ofthe shoulder. Clavicle pads 75 are roughly aligned over and serve toprotect the clavicle, or collarbone. A lateral groove 80 separates eachclavicle pad 75 from the respective chest pad 55. Further the embodimentof FIG. 5 has deltoid pads 85 to protect the deltoid muscles and theround of the shoulder. Each deltoid pad 85 is separated from theclavicle pad 75 by a shoulder groove 90.

Pads within the padding rig 50 as described above may use eithermultiple foam pellets 5 independently set throughout the pad, or anarray 20 of pellets 5 provided within the pad. The pellets 5 (or array20) may be configured to have different foam densities in various pads.For example, small pellets 5 or uniform foam pads may be used in theserratus pads 65 to allow for maximum flexibility and motion of thewearer's arms. However, larger pellets 5 may be used in the chest pads55, which are more likely to be impact locations in football, forexample. Other variations in the size, density, and concentration of thepellets 5 or arrays 20 may be used for other pads, depending on themanner in which the wearer is likely to receive an impact. It is notnecessary that all padding in the padding rig 50 be of the structuretaught for pellets 5 or arrays thereof, but it is preferred that atleast the chest pads 55 or the clavicle pads 75 incorporate such pellets5.

Also, while FIG. 5 depicts one configuration of pads and grooves, otherconfigurations are also possible to protect the wearer. For example, asingle chest pad 55 covering the entire chest may be used.Alternatively, the chest pad 55 and serratus pad 65 may be fusedtogether, or the serratus pad 65 may be larger relative to the chest pad55 than as is depicted in FIG. 5. Similarly, the clavicle pad 75 anddeltoid pad 85 may be fused together or have different relative sizesthan as shown in FIG. 5. Furthermore, each individual pad individual maybe broken into multiple smaller sections. In view of the particular needfor flexibility at the shoulder, as players need to raise their arms forcatching, throwing, or tackling, the deltoid pad 85 may particularlybenefit from sectioning into smaller arrays or individual pellets 5, toallow that region to move by expanding multiple spaces between multiplesmaller sections, as opposed to relying on fewer, areas for largerexpansions (and therefore a larger area exposed from padding). All ofthese alternative embodiments and others are within the scope of thisdisclosure.

FIG. 6 depicts an elevation view of one embodiment of the back of thepadding rig 50. Two back pads 150 protect the wearer's upper back. Theback pads 150 are separated by a central back groove 155, similar to thecentral groove 60 separating the chest pads 55. Each back pad 150 isseparated from a clavicle pad 75 by a posterior lateral groove 160. Aswith the front padding, in alternative embodiments the back pads 150 maybe joined into a single pad or subdivided into multiple pads.

In some embodiments, and as depicted in FIG. 7, the chest pads 55,serratus pads 65, clavicle pads 75, and back pads 150 may be sewnbetween two fabric layers 95 and 100. FIG. 7 shows an array 20 ofpellets 5 connected by substrates 15 and covered by two layers of fabric95 and 100. The outer fabric layer 95 covers the outside of the padding,while the inner fabric layer 100 is between the wearer and the pad. Thistwo-ply construction protects the padding rig 50 from incidental wearand tear while also protecting the skin of the wearer from chafing orother potentially uncomfortable contact with the foam pads. In someembodiments, the outer layer 95 may be sewn to the inner layer 100 toform a series of grooves, as further described below, and serriedenclosed pockets where the pads located. The serried pockets subdividethe padding rig 50. By situating the pads in the enclosed pockets, thepads are prevented from shifting about or folding over during play.Rather, the pads are maintained in place by being sandwiched between theinner layer 95 and the outer payer 100 inside the enclosed pocket.

In other embodiments, a single-ply fabric may be used. For example, thepads may be adhesively attached to the front of the fabric layer 100with an exposed pad surface. In such an embodiment, the fabric 100 isbetween the wearer's skin and the pads. Alternatively, the pads may beadhesively attached to the single-ply fabric 95, such that the fabric 95covers both the pad and the wearer, with the pads adjacent to the skin.

While any type of fabric may be used to allow the wearer to don thepadding rig 50, the inventors have found that in some embodiments acompression fabric or other high tenacity stretch fabric that forms aclose-fitting garment provides additional advantages. In particular,compression fabric conforms the pads of the padding rig 50 close to thebody and prevents the pads from shifting during the course of play.

In some embodiments, the deltoid pads 85 may be sewn between an outerlayer 95 and inner layer 100 of the fabric, as described above withreference to FIG. 7. In other embodiments, as depicted in FIG. 8, thedeltoid pads 85 are separate from the inner layer 75 of fabric. In thisembodiment, each deltoid pad 85 is covered by an outer layer 95 over theoutside and a middle layer of fabric 105 that wraps underneath thedeltoid pad 75 and is attached to the inner layer 100 of fabric at aseam 110 located underneath the deltoid pad 75. The middle layer 105 maybe formed together with the top layer 95, or it may be sewn into a seamwith the top layer 95 along the edge of the deltoid pad 85. In eithercase, separating the deltoid pad 85 from the inner layer 100 in thismanner allows the wearer to rotate or move the upper arm relativelyindependent from the deltoid pad 85. The inner layer 100 extends downthe upper arm to form the sleeve 120.

Returning to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 5, the central groove 60,anterior grooves 70, lateral grooves 80, and shoulder grooves 90 areeach wide enough to form a seam 125. If the fabric is compressionfabric, the seam 125 optimally should be wide enough to create anoverlapping seam between the different layers of fabric, such that theseam 125 can stretch proportionally as the fabric is stretched. Ifcompression fabric is not used, the seam 125 can be very thin, and thegrooves can be correspondingly thin. The grooves are areas withoutpadding and allow each pad to shift with the wearer's movementsindependently of the other pads. Thus the wearer can move the muscles ofhis shoulders, upper arm, upper back, and chest relatively freely,without having to move, or being restricted by, the remainder of theshoulder pads 50.

In some embodiments, the grooves may be sized such that when a wearershifts into particular positions in which a tackle, hit, blow, or otherimpact is likely to occur, the pads shift together to simulate theappearance and provide the protection of a single solid pad. Forexample, in football, a defensive player may set himself into a crouchwith arms extended forward to tackle the ball carrier. In this position,the chest pads 55 and serratus pads 65 would be forced forwardly andinwardly by the wearer's stance. The chest pads 55, which are normallyseparated by the central groove 60, would collapse toward each otheruntil the central edges 56 of the chest pads 55 are adjacent to eachother. Similarly, the serratus pads 65 would be forced toward the chestpads 55, such that the interior edges 66 of the serratus pads 65 slidenext to the exterior edges 57 of the chest pads 55. In this manner, theserratus pads 65 and chest pads 55 form the appearance of a single padacross the wearer's chest in order to protect the wearer during theimpending tackle.

Similarly, the clavicle pads 75 and deltoid pads 85 can protect a widereceiver leaping to catch a high pass, or a quarterback in the motion ofthrowing a ball. As the wearer's arm is raised, the player's deltoid andshoulder contract toward the neck. Accordingly, the deltoid pad 85shifts inwardly to sit adjacent to the clavicle pad 75, simulating asingle, solid pad stretching over the top of the shoulder towards theneck.

In some embodiments, and as further described with reference to FIGS.9-11 below, the padding rig 50 may be augmented with an impact plate 4.In other embodiments, the padding rig 50 alone may be worn by the wearerto provide protection. This may be particularly advantageous during low-and medium-impact play, such as during practices where tackling is notallowed, or where the players otherwise conduct “no pad workouts.” In“no pad workouts,” players typically remove their traditional hardplastic and other bulky padding in order to both protect players' healthlong term, deter or limit the amount of impacts taken by the body duringpractice, and focus on game planning and strategy. The padding rig 50described herein is suitably flexible to allow players to conductpractices and drills without the bulkiness of traditional footballshoulder pads, while also providing additional protection in the eventof an inadvertent fall, hit, tackle, or other impact. In some of theseembodiments, the padding rig 50 may take the form of a shirt, bib,drape, or harness worn over the upper body and abdomen, with pads toprotect the wearer where appropriate. Such embodiments of the paddingrig 50 could be used in actual gameplay, with or without the impactplate 4 described below.

In other embodiments, and having particular advantages during games andother high-impact play, an impact plate 4 is provided over eachshoulder, in the nature of a hard exoskeleton or yoke 130 as shown inone embodiment in FIG. 9 to further support the pads of the padding rig50 and protect the user. As depicted in FIG. 9, the yokes 130 may bejoined to form a single construction, for example by connecting eachyoke 130 with a rigid or flexible plastic connection 136 across thefront section 135 of the yoke. Alternatively, one yoke 130 may beseparate from and move independently of the other yoke 130. Any hardmaterial may be used to form the yokes 130. The inventors have foundthat recycled carbon fiber yokes 130 provide more protection than hardplastics or other rigid materials, as the recycled carbon fiber platescan be conformed to the radius of the shoulder and tend to absorb andrelease back impact energy rather than transferring it unto the wearer.Furthermore, the recycled carbon fiber can be manufactured at a verythin thickness (for example, 4-8 sheets of carbon fiber, resulting in athickness of 0.5-0.8 mm). Recycled carbon fiber sheets having thisthickness is flexible and can react to impact forces by absorbing theimpact and springing back into shape. This allows the yoke 130 to flexwith the wearer in order to not hamper the wearer's flexibility ormobility. In such ultrathin embodiments, and as depicted in FIG. 9, theedge of the yoke 130 may be surrounded by a pad or seam 131 to preventthe yoke 130 from inadvertently cutting into the wearer or the paddingrig 50. However regular carbon fiber or typical hard plastics may beused without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

The yoke 130 may be constructed in the general pattern typical of theprior art, being essentially flat on the front and covering an areaapproximately four to six inches wide (on each side) for an adult model.In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 9, the yoke 130 is constructed ofcarbon fiber as discussed above, and therefore is able to have a reducedprofile. As shown, yoke 130 has a front section 135 that is widest atthe base of the neck where the clavicle requires protection. However,contrary to typical traditional shoulder pad yokes, the yoke 130 asshown in FIG. 9 has a cut-out section relying on a narrower band ofmaterial to protect downward, across the bottom of the rib cage, andthen upward again. As shown, this section looks like a “J” or abackwards “J” in appearance. The omission of material in locationstypically covered by traditional shoulder pads is most appropriate whenthe padding rig employs pellets 5 in the area exposed by the omittedmaterial, or when the yoke 130 is constructed of carbon fiber assuggested, or optimally, both. Even without such aspects, the upwardprojecting portion 131 of the yoke 130 serves to offset the lack ofmaterial in the yoke 130 and thereby provide a weight and cost savingsto the yoke 130 overall, while still maintaining a protective profile.

Turning to the back section 145 of the yoke 130, here also cut-outs areemployed to reduce weight and cost. As shown here, the material of theyoke 130 encircles the cutout, as opposed to the open-sided cutout shownon the front section 135. In consequence, the configuration of the backsection 145 has an appearance somewhat reminiscent of a block “O” designto protect the player's back and rib cage in the same manner. The use ofsuch a stronger O design with both sides intact on the back as comparedto the single-sided J on the front is believed appropriate in view ofthe fact that strikes to the front are more likely to be deflected ormet by the arms of the player. The “J” and block “O” shapes provideincreased protection over the wearer's rib cage while also covering lessspace over the wearer's chest and back, thereby reducing the weight ofthe yoke 130 and any resistance against the wearer's flexibility ormobility. This permits the wearer to move relatively unhindered by theyoke 130, compared to stiffer or heavier yokes 130. Additionally, theopen designs of the J and O shapes advantageously contribute toventilation to cool athletes during play. However, other shapes for thefront section 135 and back section 145, such as solid plates, one ormore strips extending down from the middle section 140, or plates havingmultiple holes or cut outs, may be used without departing from the scopeof this disclosure.

The middle section 140 of the yoke 130 is rounded and protects thewearer's shoulder and clavicle. As depicted in FIG. 10, a protrusion 141may extend inward and downward to protect the collarbone. As depicted inthe embodiment of FIG. 10, the front section 135, middle section 140,and back section 145 may be formed of a unitary construction or mold.Because the padding is integrated into the shirt, it is unnecessary toinclude a buckle or other device to secure the yokes 130 to each otherin some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the yoke 130 may be of varying thicknesses indifferent sections in order to provide additional strength in locationswhere particularly high impacts are anticipated. In these embodimentsdepicted, the flexibility of the yoke 130 in various sections isdependent upon its thickness. For example, and as depicted in FIGS. 9and 10, the front section 135 and back section 145 are thinner than themiddle section 140 to provide additional flexibility across the chestand back, while the middle section 140 is thicker relative to the frontsection 135 and back section 145. in view of the higher impact forcesexperienced across the shoulders when a player tackles another player.In other embodiments, the yoke 130 may be thicker in the back section145, for example, which may be particularly advantageous for widereceivers who are prone to being tackled from behind or in mid-air.Other variations in the thickness and/or flexibility of the yoke 130,including gradual increases or decreases in thickness across a sectionor in particular regions, may also be used.

In some embodiments, and as depicted in FIG. 10, to further protect the“point” of the shoulder and the deltoid muscle, an epaulet 165 may beattached to the middle section 140 and extend over the deltoid pad 85.The epaulet 165 may be formed of carbon fiber or hard plastic.Preferably, the epaulet 165 is attached only to the yoke 130, such thatthe epaulet 165 is substantially independent of and may react to impactforces separately from, the deltoid pad 85. However, this is notrequired in all embodiments.

In some embodiments, and as depicted in FIG. 11, the yokes 130 formingthe impact plate 4 may be completely detached from the padding rig 50.In other embodiments, the yoke 130 may be secured to the shirt byVELCRO™, double-sided tape, or some other detachable means of adheringthe yoke 130 to the padding rig 50. To don embodiments of the shoulderpads that have the impact plate 4 detached from the padding rig 50, thewearer first puts on the padding rig 50. Then, the wearer slips a yoke130 over each shoulder, aligns the yoke 130 over the padding rig 50, andthen affixes the yoke 130 to the padding rig 50 as appropriate. In otherembodiments, the impact plate 4 may be slipped over the padding rig 50before the entire assembly is donned at once by the wearer.

While the shoulder pads described above are most likely to be used infootball, similar configurations may be used for hockey, rugby,lacrosse, and field hockey players. Additional chest protectors forbaseball or softball catchers may also have similar configurations.

A padding rig 50 with an impact plate 4 may be used in other athleticand non-athletic environments where impact protection is important. Itwill be appreciated that the padding rig 50 and the impact plate 4 maybe configured in a size and shape appropriate to the body part orstructure to be protected. For example, in another embodiment, a soccershinguard has a padding rig 50 adapted to conform to the player's shinand has one or more pockets enclosing foam padding as described above. Athin impact plate 4 covers the outside of the padding. In someembodiments, the impact plate 4 is integrated into the padding rig 50;for example, it may be sewn into the enclosed pocket with the foampadding. In other embodiments, the impact plate 4 may be slid over andattached to the padding rig 50, or the padding rig 50 may be removablyreceived in a sleeve portion of the padding rig 50, giving the playerthe option of wearing the hard impact plate 4 or simply playing with thesofter padding rig 50.

In other embodiments, a helmet may be formed having foam padding on theinterior of the helmet and a hard impact plate 4 or shell on theexterior. The same concept may be used for football, hockey, lacrosse,and rugby helmets, as well as firemen's hats and construction hard hats.

In still other embodiments, the padding may be applied to any structurewhere impact forces are likely. For example, a basketball pole orfootball uprights may be wrapped in a padding rig 50 with the foampadding inside. If the padding rig 50 is used to protect a fragile,brittle, or easily deformable structure (for example, a thin woodenstructural column, as may be used on a patio or deck), an impact plate 4may be laid over the padding rig 50 to provide additional impactprotection. If, alternately, the padding on the structure is intended toprotect players or persons that may strike the structure, it may beadvantageous for the foam to be outward of any impact plate 4.

The embodiments provided above are intended as examples of potentialuses of the foam padding in various applications and is not intended tolimit the scope of use or structure of the foam padding, padding rig 50,and impact plate 4, which may be advantageously applied in any scenariowhere a need for protection against impact forces is anticipated ordesired.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited numberof embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of thisdisclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised whichdo not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed here.Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by theattached claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A foam padding comprising a first foam pelletcomprising an aperture substantially near a minor axis thereof.
 2. Thefoam padding of claim 1, wherein the aperture passes through the firstpellet.
 3. The foam padding of claim 1, where the first pellet is of anonuniform density.
 4. The foam padding of claim 3, where the firstpellet comprises a first half characterized by a first density and asecond half characterized by a second density.
 5. The foam padding ofclaim 1, where the foam is polyurethane.
 6. The foam padding of claim 1further comprising a second foam pellet, and a substrate connecting thefirst foam pellet to the second foam pellet.
 7. The foam padding ofclaim 1 further comprising multiple other foam pellets, and multiplesubstrates interconnecting the first foam pellet with the other foampellets.
 8. The foam padding of claim 7, further comprising an areabetween two substrates through which air can pass.
 9. A foam paddingcomprising a plurality of foam pellets, at least one of said foampellets comprising an aperture substantially near a minor axis thereof.10. A foam padding as in claim 9, further comprising a first region ofthe at least one of said pellets having a first density, and a secondregion of the at least one of said pellets having a second density,wherein the first density and the second density are not the same.
 11. Afoam padding as in claim 10, wherein the first region and the secondregion are bonded together.
 12. A foam padding as in claim 11, whereinthe aperture passes through the at least one of said foam pellets. 13.The foam padding of claim 6 further comprising a substrate connectingthe at least one of said foam pellets to at least one other foam pellet.14. The foam padding of claim 13 wherein foam pellets are arranged in alinear array.
 15. The foam padding of claim 13, wherein foam pellets arearranged as a sheet, with substrates interconnecting at least some ofthe plurality of foam pellets.
 16. The foam padding of claim 15,comprising an area between at least two foam pellets, said area havingat least one location that is free of substrate through which air canpass.
 17. The foam padding of claim 6, further comprising a firsttextile layer.
 18. The foam padding of claim 17, further comprising asecond textile layer disposed at least partially on an opposite side ofthe at least one pellet from the first textile layer.
 19. The foampadding of claim 14, wherein the first textile layer is in the form of ashirt.
 20. The foam padding of claim 19, wherein the first textile layercomprises a torso portion and a sleeve portion.
 21. A protective foampad comprising: a. a first textile layer adapted to enclose a protectedarea; and b. a plurality of foam pellets arranged in an array anddisposed along the first textile layer, where at least one pellet has anaperture through the pellet substantially near the minor axis.
 22. Theprotective foam pad of claim 21 where the first textile layer is acompression fabric.
 23. The protective foam pad of claim 21 furthercomprising a second textile layer on a side of the foam pad opposite thefirst textile layer.
 24. The protective foam pad of claim 23 where thesecond textile layer is a compression fabric.
 25. The protective foampad of claim 24, where the foam pad comprises two sections, and thefirst textile layer and second textile layer are sewn together betweenthe two sections.
 26. The protective foam pad of claim 21, where theplurality of foam pellets are connected to one another into a foam unit.27. The protective foam pad of claim 26, where multiple foam units areattached to the first textile layer, such that a first foam unit ismaintained in special relationship to a second foam unit without beingdirectly affixed to the second foam unit.
 28. Pads for use in athleticcompetitions comprising: a. a first textile layer adapted to receive anupper body of a wearer; b. a second textile layer sewn to the firsttextile layer to form a plurality of enclosed pockets; and c. aplurality of foam arrays arranged in the plurality of enclosed pockets,each foam array comprising a plurality of foam pellets having anaperture substantially near a minor axis thereof, and a substrateconnecting the plurality of foam pellets.
 29. The pads of claim 28,where the first textile layer is a compression fabric.
 30. The pads ofclaim 28, where the enclosed pockets are separated by an area free ofpockets.
 31. The pads of claim 28, further comprising a yoke in the formof an arch adapted to fit over a shoulder of the wearer.
 32. The pads ofclaim 31, wherein the yoke comprises recycled carbon fiber.
 33. The padsof claim 31, wherein the yoke is removable.
 34. The pads of claim 31,where the yoke further comprises a front section in the approximateshape of a “J.”.
 35. The pads of claim 31, wherein the yoke furthercomprises a back section in the approximate shape of an “O.”.
 36. Thepads of claim 31, further comprising an epaulet attached to the yoke ina position to extend over a shoulder of the wearer when worn. 37.Shoulder pads for use in athletic competitions comprising: a. a paddingrig comprising i. an inner textile layer; ii. an outer textile layer;and iii. a plurality of foam pellets sandwiched between the innertextile layer and outer textile layer, said pellets comprising anaperture substantially near a minor axis thereof,  where the foampellets are arranged about the padding rig.
 38. The shoulder pads ofclaim 37, wherein the inner textile layer and outer textile layer aresewn together to form a plurality of seams subdividing the padding riginto a plurality of sections containing at least one foam pellet. 39.The shoulder pads of claim 37, wherein multiple foam pellets in asection are connected by a substrate.
 40. The shoulder pads of claim 37,where a foam pellet comprises a first region having a first density anda second region having a second density, wherein the first density andthe second density are not the same.
 41. The shoulder pads of claim 40,where the foam pellet further comprises a first half having the firstdensity.
 42. The shoulder pads of claim 37, wherein at least one of theinner textile layer and the outer textile layer comprises a compressionfabric.